No Rest for the Wicked (40 page)

life with him. That time was now.

If she wasn’t touching him in seconds, she’d go mad.

She scrambled to her feet. She knew her sisters were eyeing her strangely, knew that what

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) she was feeling was undisguised. Right then, she didn’t care. She turned and ran for him.

Bastian! Standing at the door, so tall and proud.

When he saw her, his lips parted, then he absently palmed the center of his chest.

As she hadn’t slowed, he opened his arms—she knew what this meant—but she didn’t

hesitate to run into them, leaping up and latching onto him. They would have gone reeling

if he weren’t so strong.

The Valkyrie who’d flown down the stairs at the marked lightning saw her. All around

them, she heard gasps. One muttered, “She ran to his arms. I saw it.”

“Bastian, I missed you!” Kaderin whispered.

“God, I missed you, too,” he murmured, clutching her. She felt him stiffen, and knew Rika

and Dasha had appeared behind her. He released her with obvious reluctance, but once on

her feet, she only turned, keeping his front to her back.

Just when she thought there’d be a confrontation, Rika said, “Kader-ie, we have a thing

we wish to tell thee—” She winced. “I mean you.”

“What is it?” Kaderin asked, pulling Sebastian’s arm around her. He tightened it

immediately.

“We invited him,” Dasha said.

Rika added, “And now we can see that it was a wise decision.”

“What do you mean?” Kaderin asked, her voice unsteady.

Dasha answered, “You spent too many years blaming yourself for our deaths and too

much time without happiness. It must stop. It is time for you to be content.”

“You deserve it more than anyone,” said shy Rika. She approached Kaderin and Sebastian

and addressed him. “We hate that vampire for what he did to Kader-ie, and to us.” She

frowned at that, then said, “But you are not that vampire. If you love Kad—”

“I do,” he quickly said.

She squeezed his arm.

Dasha muttered, “Then be wed with our blessings.”

“Rika? Dash?” Kaderin said in a breathless voice. “Are you in earnest?”

“Kader-ie, you need him. Even if we didn’t support this, you’d go to him eventually. We

understand that.”

Kaderin turned to him, gazing up and nibbling her bottom lip. “Yes, I would have.”

“You would?” he rasped, his eyes so dark.

“Of course, Bastian.” She glanced over her shoulder and said to her sisters, “Thank you. I-

I don’t know what to say.”

“Begone,” Dasha said with a scowl. “This does not mean we wish to see you two in the

agonies of love, or biting, or whatever it shall be. Rika and I have video battles to master

and a driving lesson with Regin and Nïx when they return with Sad Wiener gum from the

pack-a-sack.”

When Rika grinned and nodded, Kaderin stood on tiptoes to whisper at his ear, “Will you

take me somewhere so I can kiss you?”

He shuddered as he traced.

“Where are we?” she asked, not wanting to take her eyes from him even to glance around.

“Our new estate,” he said, studying her reaction, so clearly wanting her to like it. “Close

to Val Hall,” he added, leaning down to brush his lips over her ear, his breaths warm and

already quickened with need.

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) She didn’t have to see it to know she would like it. Sebastian was here, and that was all

she needed to know. “Oh, Bastian,” she sighed, eyelids fluttering closed as she ran her

fingers through his thick hair, “I think it’s the best house I’ve ever been in. I’m sure.”

After making love in the living room, in the dining room, on the stairs, and over a bench

on the stair landing, they’d finally made it to the bedroom. Just as they’d settled under the

rich damask covers, a telephone rang from across the room. Sebastian tensed at the sound,

and Kaderin peeked out, frowning. Who could have gotten the number already?

His low growl when she strode naked to the phone made getting out of the bed worth it.

When she answered, Emma said, “Kaderin, is that you?” Her voice was panicked. “Myst

told me I could get you here. Have you guys seen Bowen?”

“Since when, sweet?”

“Since he went to some fire snake thingy in the Hie.”

Oh, crap. Kaderin sidled back to the bed. “Bastian, after you and Bowen had your...

disagreement, what exactly happened?” That whole time was a haze for Kaderin.

Everything paled next to Sebastian’s sacrifice for her and her family. And she didn’t relish

thinking about the fact that she’d... died, boiling in lava. Kaderin had contemplated

cheerier scenarios.

“The Lykae vowed, convincingly, that he’d kill me and you after he hunted us to the ends

of the earth,” Sebastian answered. “And also that he would ‘eat my goddamned heart.’ ”

He shrugged. “I left him there in that cave—on the other side of the lava pit. I figured

there would be a way out of the back.”

Kaderin hesitated, then told Emma, “He could possibly still be trapped behind a pit of

boiling lava, guarded by a fire serpent.”

Emma cried, “For two weeks? Can you please go get him? He’s my husband’s cousin and

best friend!”

“Are we using your tranq gun or ours?” Kaderin asked. “Emma, he’ll be in a killing rage

after losing his mate—again.”

“I know, but I’m just worried he might... he might take the opportunity to... you know.”

“Okay, okay,” Kaderin said, then turned to Sebastian. “Can we go get Bowen sometime

tonight? She’s worried he’ll dive in after the loss.”

“Which would be tragic.” When Emma heard him and screeched, he grudgingly said, “No,

he won’t do that. He’ll need to kill me first. Trust me, I know this.” He exhaled. “We’ll

get him.” He seized Kaderin around her waist and dragged her back under the covers with

him. “After.”

“After,” Kaderin agreed eagerly. She told Emma, “We’ll retrieve him at sunset. If he’s still

there. I’ll let you know.” She hung up and absently laid the phone on the bedside table, but

turned when she brushed paper.

“What is it?” he asked.

“A note.” It was folded in three and had a crimson wax seal stamped with a flourishing R.

“From Riora?”

He peered over Kaderin’s shoulder as she opened the letter. “Do we really want to read

this?”

She shrugged helplessly. They both read:

It is perfectly impossible for you two to be excessively ecstatic together.

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) Nor is it possible for both of you to have families made whole.

See you at the next Hie,

Riora, goddess of all and sundry soccer anthems

A key clanged out of the letter’s bottom fold. Kaderin could hear his heart speed up when

he recognized it.

Another chance at the past. For Sebastian.

“Will it”—his voice dropped lower—“could it work?”

She faced him and nodded. “Yes, I believe so. You fascinated Riora. She would want to

reward you.”

He swallowed. “I won’t do this lightly. I must talk with Nikolai and Murdoch and, I hope,

Conrad. We will decide together how and when this will occur and prepare for it.”

As Kaderin gingerly set the key and note aside, he asked, “Would you be comfortable with

this? With my family coming forward?”

“Like you were with mine? Of course! I’ll support you in anything you want to do. And I

daresay your sisters will be easier than Dash and Rika. They probably won’t slay every

toaster they encounter.”

The corners of his lips curled. “This is too incredible. I can scarcely believe it.”

“Just wait until you see them for the first time. It’s a pretty big shock.”

He raised his hand to cradle her face. “My sisters would like you.”

She smiled back. “They will like me. And I them. Though I think you should marry me

first. So we’re respectable.”

“I didn’t believe this day could get better.”

When he drew her under him, resting his hips between her thighs, she gazed into his gray

eyes, the color of enduring summer storms. “I love you, Bastian.”

“I’ll never tire of hearing that.” He nuzzled her ear and rasped against it, “Maybe one day

you’ll come to love me as much as I do you.”

She frowned and pushed up on his shoulders so they were facing each other. “I happen to

adore you, vampire.” Her hands laced around his neck, and she twined her fingers in his

hair. “No, I’m absolutely certain I love you more.”

He grinned down at her, that half-grin that made her heart twist, then slowly rocked

forward to fill her. “Tell yourself that, Valkyrie.” He leaned down to catch her gasp with

his lips. “As much as you like.”

From the Book of Lore

The Lore

“... and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum,

coexisting with, yet secret from, man’s.”

The Valkyrie

“When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, Wóden and Freya heed

her call. The two gods give up lightning to strike her, rescuing her to their hall, and

preserving her courage forever in the form of the maiden’s immortal Valkyrie daughter.”

· Take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective

power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning.

· Possess preternatural strength and speed.

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· Without training, they can be mesmerized by shining objects and jewels.

· Also called Swan Maidens, Shield Maidens.

· Enemies of the Horde.

The Vampires

· Two warring factions, the Vampire Horde and the Forbearer Army.

· Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he

finds her.

· A Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat,

a process known as blooding.

· Tracing is teleporting, the vampires’ means of travel. A vampire can only trace to

destinations he’s been to before.

The Horde

“In the first chaos of the Lore, a brotherhood of vampires dominated, by relying on their

cold nature, worship of logic, and absence of mercy. They sprang from the harsh steppes

of Dacia and migrated to Russia , though some say a secret enclave, the Daci, live in Dacia

still.”

· Distinguished by their red eyes, a side effect of drinking victims to death.

· Enemies of most factions in the Lore.

The Forbearers

“... his crown stolen, Kristoff, the rightful Horde king, stalked the battlefields of antiquity

seeking the strongest, most valiant human warriors as they died, earning him the name of

Grave-walker. He offered eternal life in exchange for eternal fealty to him and his growing

army.”

· An army of vampires consisting of turned humans, who do not drink blood directly

from the flesh.

· Kristoff was raised as a human and then lived among them. He and his army know

little of the Lore.

· Enemies of the Horde.

The Lykae Clan

“A proud, strapping warrior of the Keltoi People (or Hidden People, later known as Celts)

was taken in his prime by a maddened wolf. The warrior rose from the dead, now an

immortal, with the spirit of the beast latent within him. He displayed the wolf’s traits: the

need for touch, an intense loyalty to its kind, an animal craving for the delights of the

flesh. Sometimes the beast rises... ”

· Also called werewolves, war-wolds.

· Enemies of the Horde.

The Furiae

“If you do evil, beg for punishment—before they come... ”

· Ruthless she-warriors bent on delivering justice to evil men when they escape it

elsewhere.

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· Led by Alecta the Unyielding One.

· Also called Furies, Erinyes.

The Berserkers

“A berserker’s lonely life is filled with naught but battle rage and bloodlust... ”

· A cadre of mortal warriors who swore allegiance to Wóden, known for their

merciless brutality.

· One of the few human orders to be recognized and accepted by the Lore.

· Able to conjure the spirit of the bear, and channel its ferocity.

The Sirenae

“Near the sea’s edge, beware the siren’s song... ”

· A female species of immortals, they can permanently mesmerize and enslave males

who hear their singing.

· Derive power from the sea and can’t be away from it for more than one cycle of the

moon.

The Wraiths

“... their origin unknown, their presence chilling.”

· Spectral, howling beings. Undefeatable and, for the most part, uncontrollable.

· Also called the Ancient Scourge.

The Demonarchies

“The demons are as varied as the bands of man... ”

· A collection of demon dynasties.

· Some kingdoms ally with the Horde.

The House of Witches

“... immortal possessors of magickal talents, practitioners of good and evil.”

· Mystical mercenaries who sell their spells.